This invention relates to a lubricating system for a weaving machine and particularly a system for lubricating the picking instrumentalities and the gripper projectile in a Sulzer loom.
Heretofor, weaving machines have been known to employ picking elements for picking a weft yarn into and through a shed of warp yarns. In many instances, the weft picking element has been guided through the shed by means of a series of guide elements mounted on the sley. Generally, the picking element or gripping projectile has been picked from a picking station on one side of the weaving machine to a catcher or catching station on the opposite side of the machine and, thereafter, returned from the catching station to the picking station, for example, by a chain conveying mechanism. Such weaving machines as those manufactured or sold by the Sulzer Brothers, Limited of Winterthur, Switzerland comprise weaving instrumentalities which are in frictional or rubbing contact with each other and which move relative to each other requiring means be provided to lubricate the contacting surfaces to prevent unnecessary wear of such surfaces.
In the past, such picking instrumentalities have been lubricated with airborne fine particles of lubricant supplied, for example, in the form of an oil mist to lubricate the various surfaces in friction of contact with each other. This has required an extensive amount of lubricant and has created the problem of contaminating the fabric being woven on the weaving machine and the atmosphere in the weaving room wherein such weaving machines are located. In a typical weaving room, there may be as many as 1,000 weaving machines operating simultaneously, each of which is contributing a portion of its lubricant mist to the atmosphere and causing unhealthy conditions for the operators of the machines.
Not only does the oil mist create unfavorable conditions for the operators and contaminate the fabric being woven on the weaving machines, they also use an excessive amount of lubricant or oil, which greatly increases the cost of operating the weaving machine. Furthermore, even with an excessive amount of lubricant being dispensed in the mist, there is still uneven lubrication of the frictional surfaces of the weaving machine. This causes undue wear on some of the parts and creates an additional expense for the owners of such weaving machines.
Some of the problems outlined above have been recognized by Sulzer Brothers, Limited and others active in the field of lubricating textile machines. However, their solutions have not been satisfactory. For example, Sulzer Brothers, Limited have sought to utilize a lubricant which is fed under low pressure in a continuous oil mist, in the belief that such low pressure mist will be localized in the areas of the machine where lubrication is desired. However, this has not obviated the problems. In addition, Sulzer Brothers, Limited have developed a lubricator for the picking element or gripper projectile as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,518,019 issued on May 21, 1985 and assigned to Sulzer Brothers, Limited. In this patent, a special lubricating station is provided for the gripper projectile whereby those surfaces which will come into contact with the weft guiding elements are supplied with a lubricant in the form of an oil mist or by a felt wicking surface, again, with the lubricant being under very low pressure, i.e., pressure having approximately 5 to 6 pounds per square inch.
Others have attempted to solve the problems created by the oil mist system by providing means to entrain or collect the oil mist away from the fabric and for separating the lubricant from the air stream collected. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,117,869 was issued on Oct. 3, 1978 and assigned to Parks Kramer Limited of London, England. This patent discloses a system of providing a vacuum hood over the area wherein the oil mist is created so as to draw the oil and air mist combination across the picking instrumentalities and into the vacuum stream formed, so as to limit the amount of lubricant that is deposited onto the fabric or into the general atmosphere around said weaving machine. This system has avoided some of the problems created by the oil mist lubricating system of Sulzer but still requires an excessive amount of lubricant and results in uneven lubrication of the moving parts of the weaving machine picking instrumentalities and still does not avoid completely the lubricant contaminating the general atmosphere and/or the fabric being formed on the weaving machine. In addition, the system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,117,869 adds greatly to the cost of the weaving machine.
In addition to the problems noted above in connection with prior art, each of the prior art systems utilize a very low pressure for their lubricant. While this may ease somewhat the contamination problem of the atmosphere and the fabric, it creates additional problems for the owners of the weaving machine. With the mist lubrication system, the ports delivering the oil mist often become contaminated with sizing and other dust, including lint from the fiber, so as to clog or stop up the mist distribution ports. With the low pressure, continuously fed oil mist, the pressure on the lubricant is insufficient to keep the ports open. Whenever the ports become stopped up, they will result in rapid deterioration of the contacting metal parts which fail to be lubricated. This causes excessive and rapid wear of these parts, necessitating expensive repairs or replacemnts of such parts.